A double dose of good-natured stand-up comedy in the form of Jim Gaffigan and Billy Gardell was
a welcome opening to the 2012 edition of the Ohio State Fair in the Celeste Center last night.

It was a decent pairing because neither hails from the East or West coasts. Gaffigan is
originally from Indiana and Gardell from Pittsburgh, both are in their 40s, are married with
children, neither is crazy in real life (as far as we know), and both have appeared on TV a lot —
Gardell as Mike Biggs in
Mike & Molly and Gaffigan does a lot under the radar, including the “Pale Force”
shorts on
Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Gardell opened, and his 35-minute set may have been funnier than Gaffigan’s in that it was more
universal: growing up, being married, kids these days, getting old. He delivered the punch lines
and truths like a casually dressed Jackie Gleason.

“It’s good to get a laugh. It’s all we got left,” Gardell said at the start, probably referring
to today’s tragedies and scandals. “Everything else scares the (bleep) out of you … It has just
gone haywire. People have snapped.”

Gardell, 42, said he’s too old to run, fight, or even care about acting cool. He just wants to
be comfortable.Of his life, he said, “It’s half over. I played a sloppy first half.” But he’s proud
of his marriage, and wants to grow old with his better half. He’s looking forward to turning 70 and
doing whatever he wants, even talking back to his wife, which he doesn’t do now.

“The sooner you give in, the happier you’ll be,” he said of marital arguments. “Why do you think
old men mumble?”

Gardell’s dad was a source of humor, from the way he brought Billy up to latter-day malapropisms
(a candle shop smelled “like incest” and getting a “KGB” for his heart).

Gaffigan took the stage and told the audience, “You’re so nice. I should have showered.”He
talked about showering and bath products, especially body wash. Vitamins and other products were
also ridiculed. And he delighted in watching the signer for the deaf make the sign for the word
diarrhea.

Gaffigan talked a lot about food. Shellfish were “creepy crawly bugs on the ocean floor” and
oysters were “snot on a rock.” There were hilarious bits about McDonald’s (check them out his
website), bacon and Hot Pockets.

“Let’s see you do stand-up after eating five deep-fried Buckeyes,” Gaffigan said of one variety
of fair-food on the midway menu.